On Thursday, December 12, the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) formally requested a No Board Report from the Ministry of Labour. This request signifies that negotiations have not yet resulted in an agreement, and it triggers a formal process under the Labour Relations Act. Once the Ministry of Labour issues the No Board Report, a 16-day countdown begins. At the end of this period, OPSEU would be in a legal position to initiate a work stoppage, such as a strike. Mediation sessions between the College Employer Council (CEC) and OPSEU remain scheduled for Monday, January 6, and Tuesday, January 7, 2025.

The College Employer Council (CEC) and the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) met for non-binding mediation between Friday, December 6 and Sunday, December 8. Mediation is scheduled to continue on Monday, January 6 and Tuesday, January 7, 2025. As was previously communicated, there will be no strike or labour action in the fall semester.

As you may be aware, the College Employer Council (CEC) and the Ontario Public Service Employees Union CAAT-A (OPSEU), which represents full-time and partial load academic faculty, librarians, and counsellors at all 24 Ontario colleges, are negotiating a new collective agreement. This agreement, which defines their terms of employment, expired on September 30, 2024.

Formal negotiations between the parties started in July. In October, the OPSEU bargaining team requested conciliation — a process where the parties seek to reach a settlement with the assistance of a conciliator, appointed by the Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development — and a strike vote. On October 18, academic employees at Ontario colleges voted in support of strike action. While this vote means that the union has a strike mandate, both parties remain in conciliation and other conditions need to be met before the union is in a position to call a strike. With conciliation still underway, classes, labs and campus operations remain unaffected.

What you need to know:

• At this time, college business continues as usual. All classes, activities and events remain unaffected.
• Durham College remains hopeful that a settlement will be reached between OPSEU and the CEC.
• No Ontario college student has ever lost their academic year because of a work stoppage.
• We will continue to share information and updates with you via email as well as through Durham College’s Academic Bargaining webpage.

• College Employer Council
• OPSEU